City v Palace: Connections part I

The Blues and the Eagles have had many links over the years - here are numbers 10-6 in our list of ten...

10 Barry Silkman

Mercurial attacking midfielder Barry Silkman made his name with Palace before City. He clocked up just shy of 50 league appearances at Selhurst Park before moving on to Plymouth where his flamboyant displays put Malcolm Allison in mind of Rodney Marsh. He joined City in 1979 but failed to settle in the north and was soon on his way back down south with Brentford having only shown glimpses of his talent.

09 Steve Mackenzie

When Malcolm Allison returned to his former club to recruit 17-year-old prospect Steve MacKenzie, the £250,000 fee paid for the untried youngster was a British record fee paid for a teenager. Mackenzie proved a wise purchase for the Blues, clocking up nearly 60 league appearances before he was sold to West Brom for a tidy profit. MacKenzie’s highlight for City was undoubtedly his spectacular volley against Spurs at Wembley in the 1981 FA Cup final replay.

08 Danny Granville

Attacking full-back Danny Granville spent time with several clubs including Leeds and Chelsea before joining City in 1999. He was on board for the Blues’ rise from Division Two to the Premier League in successive seasons and becoming a firm fixture in Joe Royle’s defence. He stayed on when Kevin Keegan arrived but was loaned out to Norwich during the 2001/02 campaign and later signed for Palace on a permanent deal. He spent six seasons in South London, clocking up more than 100 appearances before joining Colchester in 2007.

07 Michael Hughes

Northern Ireland talent Michael Hughes was tipped for big things after breaking into the City team in the late 1980s. He stayed with the Blues for four seasons but his opportunities were limited, despite his popularity among the supporters. Hughes played just 19 league games for City before joining Strasbourg for a fee £450,000 in 1992. He returned to England after four years, initially with West Ham and played for West Ham, Wimbledon and Birmingham before signing for Palace in 2003. He played more games for the Eagles than any other club he’d represented and became a firm favourite with the fans before being released after four years in 2007.

06 Paul Dickov

City legend Paul Dickov joined Palace on loan during his second spell with the Blues. Having already clocked up almost 200 appearances, he was deemed surplus to requirements by manager Sven-Goran Eriksson spent a brief time with the Eagles, playing nine times without scoring. He then moved to Blackpool on a permanent deal after being released by the Blues.